Percussionist Nchabeleng is in town
Dumisani Ncube | Tuesday January 24, 2017 18:00
The tour, dubbed Africa My Home Tour, will see Nchabeleng who plays African indigenous instruments staging two shows and a string of workshops, which he has already started. The percussionist has been performing locally for the past five years at different platforms such as the Maitisong Festival. His first performance locally was when he collaborated with Tefo Paya on the Morwa play.
“I have already started facilitating workshops. I was with a group of young musicians that I was teaching a number of things about the music industry. As for this week I will be going around schools facilitating more workshops. Next week I will go to Francistown where I will have more workshops,” said Nchabeleng.
This past Saturday he facilitated a workshop with young artists that he spent half of the day with. Apart from workshops he is set to stage two performances, the first one being a one man show on Friday at Maru-a-pula School’s moving space. The second one where he will collaborate with local artists such as Tefo Paya and Mino is scheduled for February 2 at Mantlwaneng Theatre.
The percussionist, who has close to two decades as a performing artist, also teaches music back in his home country.
“Every time when I come to perform in Botswana my stay is always short; I never get the time to engage with people and share my skills. The drive also comes from the support that I am always getting in Botswana and the relationships that I have created with a number of artists from Botswana.”
He was funded by an organaisation back in South Africa called Concerts SA to come this side.
Describing his one-man play, the Limpopo native stated that it will be more of telling an African story through the various African indigenous instruments than he will be using. “I will take people through a journey with different percussions bringing the ethnic, indigenous rural sound. It’s just an indigenous night. I will start with my roots as a Mopedi then bring out other African sounds.”
Nchabeleng noted that during his performances he will be engaging with the audience teaching about the various instruments he uses that he has collected from the different African countries. The shows will also have a question and answer session.
His performances have always left many impressed as he plays around with indigenous instruments such as mbira and segaba. He has previously collaborated stage performances with the likes of Leshie Lovesong, Helen Dikobe and Mmakgosi Tau.
He hinted that he might perform at the upcoming Maitisong Festival, which is scheduled for April. When quizzed on how he manages to captures the hearts of audiences from different backgrounds he said, “I gained confidence of working on my own so my craft can sell me.
Telling the story of Africa without indigenous instruments is incomplete. The music tells the story. When I am on stage I give my all”.